Memories
by hopelessly adrift
Summary: Two years after the events of R2, Kallen pays a visit to the Narita Memorial in order to pay her respects to the victims of that incident, all those years ago. However while there, she meets an unusual individual.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Code Geass franchise. Only this little idea of mine.**

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It was a moment before their encounter; she could not have explained the feeling of expectancy that washed over her in that short time but it was absolutely impossible to ignore. Her fists clenched and she grew cautious of her surroundings. Kallen Stadtfeld was not alone. Normally, this would have been of no concern to the red headed female; she was after all visiting the Narita Memorial, which was open to the general public. There should have been no reason to be on edge and yet her instincts never led her astray before. Her eyes wandered down to the memorial stone, listing all the names of those who had perished in the incident on the Narita Mountains. It took her no more than a few seconds to find the name she wanted: Joseph Fenette.

He had approached Narita casually yet with an air of mystery. As he entered the memorial, the change in draft kicked up the tails of the black trench coat that trailed in his wake. The atmosphere seemed to chill at his presence in an unexplainable way, though his appearance truly held no signs of hostility. Cropped dark brown hair and blue eyes behind square framed glasses, he approached the stone, taking no apparent interest in the redhead he came to stand beside.

There they stood motionless and silent, eyes fixed intently on something close and seemingly distant as well. There was uneasiness about Kallen; a desire to look and observer the male beside her but in a way that did not come off as completely unusual and abnormal. A look of frustration shown on her face as she folded her arms across her chest. She turned to him, prepared to strike some form of conversation when she caught herself. He was looking at her. Just watching with expectant eyes … As though he expected something from her. And what was more was his appearance. How familiar but then it could not be. And yet the idea brought a rosy tint to her cheeks. Her eyes immediately averted back to the stone before them and the silence ensued.

"Is something the matter?"

She was hesitant to respond verbally but that did not stop her from shaking her head. There was something about this stranger. Kallen was almost immediately reminded of … but then such ideas were foolish to even consider. He had left this world over two years ago. There was no possible way to return from the dead. That, Kallen was certain about. Having endured the memory of his death for quite some time, she relinquished herself to this reality and glanced at him once again. A smile shown on his face before a small chuckle escaped between parted lips.

He found this amusing? Her frustration and confusion amused him? Kallen was in the dark on this situation and despite her better judgment; she could not prevent herself from turning to face him, annoyance apparent. "What's so funny?"

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, as though she had said nothing at all, he turned on his heels and walked towards one of the few benches in the memorial. Taking a seat, the male stared at the redhead for a long while before a pained smile spread across his face. "It's unusual to see someone as unique looking as you. Red hair and blue eyes … Seeing you flustered made me feel nostalgic and I remembered something from a long time ago."

It left a confused look on her face and for a while, she did not know how to respond to his words. Kallen had completely miscalculated and was now left in an even more perplexed state than before he had even arrived. His nonchalant attitude did not help decrease the wary feeling that had been cast overhead since his arrival. On the contrary, it was that type of person that Kallen felt was worth keeping an eye on. Unpredictable though he did not have the feel of someone who would do her harm or the appearance of one who even could. Yet, she knew better than to judge simply by appearance. After all, _he_ had been brilliant beyond anyone's understanding.

His words … All they did was further bewilder her before she allowed herself to smile. "Thanks, I guess .. So who are you –"

He interrupted her sentence with three words, barely audible to her: "All of them."

She blinked at that. "I don't understand."

Leaning forward, his fingers entwined under his chin, all the while keeping his gaze on the memorial stone. "I'm here to pay respects to all of them. And what about you?"

There was hesitation as she glanced at the list of names and what they meant. Kallen could not help but feel curious about this male. It was not uncommon, she supposed, for there to be people who were like that; giving respect to the deceased was only a humane thing to do, was it not? However, at the time of her arrival, Kallen had only been concerned for one person. It almost sounded heartless though why should it have? Were her actions any different from those of another person? And why did it suddenly pose any actual concern in front of this stranger of all people?

"Someone on here was the father of someone I knew. It's the day of, so I visit … for her sake."

"I see. Do you feel responsible for his death?"

"No," she lied. "Why should I?"

"No reason. I was simply under the impression that you were Kallen Kozuki and took part in that incident as a member of the Black Knights."

His unexpected response stiffened her. Even though that event was common knowledge and her allegiance to the Black Knights had been strong then, why had this person suddenly appeared here on the day in question? Was that merely coincidence? No. Kallen could not believe that after the feeling she had experienced, prior to his arrival. There was something wrong here yet she could not place her finger on what that could possibly be. This person …

"It's good that you don't blame yourself," he continued as though everything were perfectly fine. "It was not your fault that your leader, Lelouch vi Brittania did not take into account the small settlement downwind from where your assault occurred, isn't that correct?"

"Shut up! You don't know a thing about him or the Black Knights."

Silence followed where they only stared at one another; a look that showed no signs of emotion and another full of rage. A moment past before his gaze lowered suddenly. As though something had suddenly caught his attention, yet he did not leave Kallen's vision for even a second. The nerve of some stranger insulting the person who had done everything and given everything to create the peaceful world they inhabited. She found it difficult to keep from physically showing this person what her words conveyed but her opportunity seemed to vanish as he stood and smiled at her. Without another word, he began to walk towards the exit.

So that was it? He just said whatever he liked and then left without explaining himself? She hated those kinds of people. Now she had no idea why she felt any reason to be cautious of him. There was nothing about him that should have concerned her. Her fists clenched tightly as she turned her attention back to the memorial stone. " … Sorry, Shirley." It was nothing more than a whisper but it was the same two words she spoke every year.

"It was a terrible loss and one that might have been prevented if the situation had allowed for leeway. Perhaps he took that into account when he sacrificed himself for the wellbeing of Britannia though. It would not bring anyone back in the end, but those deaths that should have never been were a focal point in making him the person he needed to be in order to give this world what it needed."

She turned around with no response in mind but froze at the sight of two figures; that same male and a female … with green hair.

It couldn't be. She did not realize she was running until she had arrived at the door but it was too late. No one in sight, as though what she had seen was simply a figment of her imagination. And as much as she would have liked to believe that, she could not accept that. Perhaps that was the reason for the stream of tears that flowed down her face. She fell against the door and allowed herself to drown in her memories. Memories of her days together with him at Ashford Academy. Memories of their days of rebellion. Memories of the days she fought for him, beside him and for the world. A day of memories as the sun shone its light for the final few moments of this day.

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A/N: So I wasn't too sure where I intended to go with this and there may be points where the story tends to jump all over the place. I apologize for that and hope to improve on future writings. I'd love thoughts and criticism of any sort. If you love it or hate it and etcetera. Please don't hesitate to share with me. I don't bite after all.


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